It only lasted for a few seconds, but the whole country was talking about it back in 1783. The Great Meteorite sailed across the North Sea and lit up the sky for 30 seconds accompanied, by, according to witness accounts of the time as “it were thunder at a great distance.” Although it could be seen across the UK, the meteor’s flight path took it over Yorkshire and the North East. In 2005 a pallasite, a fragment of rock, was discovered in Hambleton, North Yorkshire. It is thought by experts that it dated back to around 220 years and could have been part of the great meteor of 1783.